Ecma International is an industry standards organisation that develops and maintains specifications for information and communication technology, most notably the ECMAScript language standard (ECMA-262). It operates through technical committees that produce royalty-free, openly published standards adopted across the software industry. Ecma collaborates with bodies such as ISO and IEC to give its specifications wider international standing.
Overview
- Ecma International publishes openly available ICT standards developed by technical committees.
- Its best-known output is ECMAScript, the specification behind JavaScript.
- It favours fast, industry-driven standardisation with royalty-free access.
- It partners with ISO/IEC to elevate its standards to international status.
Key aspects
- Technical committees such as TC39 drive specification development.
- Royalty-free, openly published standards lower adoption barriers.
- A rapid consensus process suits fast-moving software domains.
- Liaison with ISO and IEC provides formal international recognition.
Applications
- Maintaining the ECMAScript language standard for the web.
- Standardising data-interchange and document formats.
- Providing royalty-free specifications adopted by industry tooling.
- Harmonising ICT standards with international bodies.